If you’re looking for a new addition to your traditional holiday treats then look no further, as these cookies have the perfect balance of being crispy on the outside, whilst remaining perfectly soft and delicious on the inside, and if you like chewy cookies, then you’ll absolutely adore this recipe.
These cookies are absolutely bursting with flavor thanks to the addition of the ginger inside, and definitely help to bring that holiday spirit to your baking.
Plus, if you’re like us, and have a hectic schedule over the holiday period, and often find it hard to make time to bake holiday treats, then you can easily make a batch of dough and freeze it to use when you’re ready!
What Is The Difference Between Molasses And Gingerbread Cookies?
When it comes to the holiday season, if you mentioned ginger cookies to someone, they’d most likely think you were talking about gingerbread cookies, so what is the difference between gingerbread and molasses cookies? Allow us to explain.
When it comes to the traditional gingerbread cookie, which is also sometimes referred to as a gingersnap cookie, these tend to be much thinner than molasses cookies, which are known to be particularly thick and chewy.
So if you perfect a thinner and crispier texture to your cookies, then you might prefer to make gingerbread cookies instead.
However, if like us, you like your cookies to have that soft and chewy texture on the inside, then keep reading to discover how to make the most wonderful ginger molasses cookies!
What Makes The Perfect Ginger Molasses Cookie?
Not all ginger molasses cookies are made equal, and there are three key factors that go into determining whether or not your ginger molasses cookies are perfect or not!
The first sign of a perfect ginger molasses cookie is a cracked top, which is a sign that your cookies have been cooked properly, and that you have managed to whip your ingredients together to make a well combined cookie dough.
The next sign of a perfect ginger molasses cookie is the chewy inside.
This is often difficult to achieve for those new to baking cookies, however by following this recipe carefully, and ensuring that you use the right quantity of ingredients, you should have no issues with achieving this incredibly soft interior with no hassle, just make sure that you don’t overcook them!
The final sign of a perfect ginger molasses cookie is the crispy sugar coating. Many people feel like their cookies are sweet enough already, but since it’s the holiday season, we see no harm in sprinkling some extra sugar on top of your cookies to really help pronounce the sweetness of these cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s hard not to love cookies in all forms, but there are a couple of reasons that are sure to make you absolutely adore this particular recipe, so let us explain why you’ll love it!
The first reason why you should love this recipe is because of the incredible textures found both on the inside and outside of the cookie, with the super crisp and sweet exterior being beautifully contrasted by the soft and chewy inside, which is exactly how all cookies should be.
Another reason to appreciate this recipe, especially around the holiday season, is because they are much easier to make in comparison to iced gingerbread cookies.
There’s no denying that making gingerbread cookies can be fun, but for those who are particularly busy during the holiday season it can be difficult to try and make enough time to bake them, whilst these cookies are much easier to bake!
Ultimately, the festive taste of these cookies is what makes them so delicious, and if you’re looking for a sweet treat that is going to get you in the mood for the holiday season, then these cookies are going to be the perfect way to do so, and when you’ve tried and tasted them once, you’ll be looking forward to making the next back straight away!
Now, let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need for your ginger molasses cookies.
Ingredients Needed For Your Ginger Molasses Cookies
The ingredients you’ll need for your ginger molasses cookies are as you would expect for the most part, and if you already bake on a regular basis then the likelihood is that you’ll already have some of these ingredients in your pantry!
Other than the basic ingredients, some of the additional ingredients required, such as molasses, are easy enough to find at your local grocery store, so you shouldn’t have any issues getting the ingredients needed for your delicious ginger molasses cookies.
Ingredients Needed
Butter (Softened, ½ cup)
Brown Sugar (½ cup)
White Sugar (½ cup, and a little extra for coating)
Egg (1 egg)
Molasses (½ cup)
Flour (2 cups, can also substitute for gluten-free flour if necessary)
Baking Soda (2 tsp)
Salt (½ tsp)
Ground Ginger (2 tsp)
Ground Cinnamon (1 tsp)
Ground Cloves (½ tsp)
How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
So, now that you have all of the ingredients required for this delicious recipe, it’s time to go about making your ginger molasses cookies!
Although this recipe might seem difficult at first, it’s relatively easy, and definitely suitable for everyone to try their hand at, even if you’re not a regular baker!
Step 1
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and use parchment paper to line your baking tray of choice.
Although this is a basic step, it’s actually the key to your cookies being a success, as it will ensure that the crispy exterior is able to form whilst keeping the inside of the cookies soft and chewy.
Step 2
Next, you’ll want to take your softened butter, as well as your brown and white sugar, and cream them together using a stand mixer.
This will help to ensure that your dough is light and airy, whilst also helping to form the chewiness that you know and love in your cookies.
Step 3
Once creamed, you’ll then want to add your molasses and your egg into the mix, and then continue to mix them in until the mixture has combined well.
Step 4
Add all of the remaining dry ingredients to a separate bowl, and mix them together until they form a cohesive mixture, and then with your stand mixer on a low setting, slowly add them into the stand mixer.
Step 5
Allow all of the ingredients to slowly combine, ensuring that they have mixed together well.
Step 6
Once the ingredients have all been mixed together, you’ll then want to take your cookie dough and place it into the refrigerator for anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes, where it should then be easy to handle and mold.
Step 7
To form your cookies, use the dough to create small 1-inch dough balls, before rolling them in sugar to provide the coating on the outside.
Step 8
With your cookie dough now formed, add them to the baking tray, and place them into the oven. Your cookies should only take between 13 to 15 minutes in the oven if you preheat your oven correctly.
You should be able to tell when your cookies are ready as they will be cracking slightly on top.
Step 9
Remove your cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool down completely before you transfer them to an airtight container, and enjoy!
How To Store Your Ginger Molasses Cookies
When it comes to storing your ginger molasses cookies, it’s an easy process, simply place them into a clean airtight container and you’ll be able to enjoy your cookies for up to 10 days!
Although we’re sure that you’ll manage to eat the entire batch before the 10 days are up.
If you’re looking to make the cookie dough ahead of time, then you can store the dough in the fridge for up to 5 days before you’ll need to use it, which is extremely convenient during the busy holiday season!
Freezing The Ginger Molasses Cookie Dough
The fridge isn’t the only place that you can store your ginger molasses cookie dough however, so if you want to make large batches of cookie dough to bake as and when you want to, then you can easily store the cookie dough in the freezer!
Once frozen, you’ll be able to store your cookie dough for up to 2 months, so you’ll be able to bake cookies throughout the holiday season without having to go through the hassle of making a new batch of dough each time.
Freezing the cookie dough does take some preparation though.
So in order to freeze your ginger molasses cookie dough, you’ll need to use your hands to help form the dough into a square or circle shape, before tightly covering it in plastic wrap and then placing it into a freezer-safe bag.
This will help to ensure that your cookie dough doesn’t garner any frozen moisture, which will dilute the mixture when defrosted.
When the time has come for you to bake your cookies, all you have to do is take your dough out of the freezer, and allow it to thaw at room temperature until it has completely defrosted, ensuring that the dough is still firm enough to be rolled though.
As you can see, freezing and thawing your ginger molasses cookie dough is an extremely easy process, which is why so many people use this recipe ahead of the holiday season, as they can then bake as many batches of cookies as they need throughout the holiday season!
Why Didn’t My Molasses Crack On Top?
As we previously mentioned, one of the signs to tell whether or not your cookies are perfect is to check whether or not the cookies have cracked on the top.
So what does it mean when your molasses haven’t cracked on top of your cookies? Check below to see what it might mean if your molasses didn’t crack on top!
The first reason why your molasses might not have cracked on top is because you placed your cookies into the oven before it could preheat to the correct temperature.
You need to make sure that your oven has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit before you place your cookies into the oven.
Another reason for the lack of cracking on top could be due to the fact that you didn’t whip your sugar and butter well enough.
Whipping is what helps to introduce air into your dough, which is needed for your cookies to crack on top once baked.
Stale baking soda is a possible culprit for causing your cookies not to crack. Baking soda is an essential ingredient in this recipe as it helps to create extra thick cookies with the correct spread and shape, and stale baking soda could be the reason why your cookies haven’t baked properly!
Lastly, if you opted not to coat your cookies with sugar, or you forgot, then this could be why your cookies didn’t crack on top, as this helps them to crackle when baked in the oven.
Tips For The Perfect Ginger Molasses Cookies
Follow these tips for the perfect ginger molasses cookies!
Chill your dough in the fridge before baking!
Whip your butter and sugar properly to ensure enough air is introduced into the butter!
Make sure your baking soda isn’t stale before you begin baking
Coat them in sugar to help them crack on top
Using a stand mixer is essential to ensure that your dough is mixed properly before baking.
Conclusion
This recipe is extremely easy to make, and is wildly popular during the holiday season for a number of reasons.
So, if you’re looking for some delicious baked goods to help get you into the festive spirit this holiday season, then definitely try out these chewy and delicious ginger molasses cookies!
Hi, my name is Justin Roberts and I like to live by one major rule in life – health is wealth. And where does all health stem from? The food choices we make.
I grew up in a not-so-wealthy household that often struggled to get food on the table.
The food we did eat was cheap, holding no nutritional value at all. I’m talking frozen foods, carbs, fats, and very little fresh produce.
I am fortunate enough to have made a life for myself where the money for food is no longer an issue, and I have spent the majority of it looking into healthy foods and different diets to try.
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